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What Is The Best Way To Sustain Life On Mars - Coggle Diagram

- - - - To Mars:
        
        To get to Mars, many spacecraft and rockets have been engineered to get to and from Mars, but they are still being worked on. New engines are being created, such as a Nuclear Thermal Rocket, which could be much more powerful than current rocket engines.
      - On Mars:
        
        For on-mars transportation, Rovers are currently the likely use of primary transportation, when getting to and from "shorter" distances on Mars. Current combustion engines will likely not be used, due their inability to function on Mars, since they require air to function (According to the U.S. Department Of Energy)
- - - - -60 degrees Celcius
      - Large Sand Storms
    - - Thin Atmosphere
      - No Oxygen
    - - Toxic Soil
      - Perchlorates
- - - - Solar Panels
        
        Only 44% of the sunlight that reaches Earth reaches Mars (Quora, 2016). This is because it's around 1.5 times the distance away from the sun (Quora, 2016)
        
        Solar panels are likely a better source of energy long-term, due to the thin atmosphere. Therefore, although less sunlight actually reaches Mars, but the thin atmosphere allows more sunlight through it than Earth's.
      - "Wind" Energy
        
        Due to the consistency of dust storms on Mars, there could be a possibility that these dust storms are strong enough to spin "wind" turbines, which could allow us to gain more electricity/power on Mars.
  - - - People who move to Mars would probably have to use / take advantage of improved greenhouses with synthetic light in order to sustain / grow the plants.
      - Plants will require a consistent supply of nutrients and water to grow, which would probably have to come with them on their trip to Mars (at least until further progress is made and food / water is able to be sustainably sourced on Mars (if possible)).
- - - - Create a greenhouse, with access to all plant/organism requirements, such as air.
      - Biological Reactors
      - Due to the thin atmosphere of mars, it is critical to ensure that the plants/organisms have some sort of protection from solar radiation
    - - "Toxic" Soil
      - No Air
      - CO2 Atmosphere (Mostly)
  - - - Utilisation Of Mars' Ice Caps
        
        Mars is a planet with ice caps. These ice caps can hold large quantities of water, which would be very helpful in finding a consistent amount of water on mars. The main setback / problem is that transporting the water from these ice caps would be difficult, and there is a chance that the frozen water could potentially be unsafe for humans / other organisms to drink.
      - Water Recovery Systems
        
        Water Recovery Systems
        
        Perhaps the best way to have a consistent and sustainable supply of water is through reuse of water. Water / moisture such as urine, sweat, and runoff (from places such as sinks and showers) can be re-used by putting them through a Water Processor Assembly, which converts the "waste water" into drinkable water (NASA, 2023). This is an okay solution as proven by spaceships such as the ISS, but not everyone would be comfortable with drinking their "urine and sweat".
      - Bring From Earth
        
        Bringing water from Earth would be an ideal candidate during the beginning stages of a mars "civilisation". The main problem with this method is that it will be very costly to transport the water from Earth all the way to Mars consistently. Additionally, the water will take up a large amount of the capacity of rockets travelling to mars.
  - - - Protection
        
        On mars, it is critical to ensure that the shelters, both for humans and plants / animals, have protection against a number of characteristics. Some of these include the consistent and large-scale dust storms and increased solar radiation
      - Atmosphere
        
        The temperature of the shelters' atmosphere must be higher than that of mars' outdoors. This is because mars is very cold, with day temperatures being around -21 degrees Celsius and the nights dropping to about -62 degrees Celsius (Space.com, 2022).